The results below are preliminary. A high number of levies passed or failed by less than 2%, with some seperated by just a handful of votes (the Dispatch is reporting that a recount is likely in Groveport as their levy is now failing by 16 votes). A number of these results then, are subject to change before the results are finalized.

Based on these preliminary results, just shy of 60% of all school levies passed yesterday, with a 90% passage rate for renewals and a somewhat higher than normal passage rate for New money requests.

New renewal	Failed	Passed	Pass %
New	50	36	41.9%
Renewal	5	46	90.2%
Over all	55	82	59.9%

Here are the results of the May 7th 2013 school levy elections, currently reported

County	District	Type of issue	Result	N/R	For	Against
Allen	Apollo JVSD	Bond - School	Passed	N	58.0%	42.0%
Allen	Bluffton EV	Income Tax (Permanent	Passed	R	77.2%	22.8%
Allen	Elida Local	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	60.6%	39.4%
Allen	Elida Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	46.8%	53.2%
Allen	Lima City	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	67.3%	32.7%
Ashland	Hillsdale Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	72.1%	27.9%
Ashland	Loudonville-Perrysville	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	55.2%	44.8%
Ashland	Loudonville-Perrysville	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	46.2%	53.8%
Ashtabula	Ashtabula City	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	48.4%	51.6%
Ashtabula	Jefferson Area Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	58.1%	41.9%
Athens	Trimble Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	48.9%	51.1%
Auglaize	St. Marys City	Income Tax (Current	Failed	N	39.7%	60.3%
Auglaize	Waynesfield Goshen	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	64.6%	35.4%
Belmont	Bellaire Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	44.7%	55.3%
Belmont	Bridgeport EV	Current Operating	Failed	N	41.9%	58.1%
Belmont	St. Clairsville-Richland	Current Expenses	Passed	N	70.2%	29.8%
Carroll	Brown Local	Bond Issue (Building) &	Failed	N	49.2%	50.8%
Carroll	Carrollton EV	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	40.6%	59.4%
Champaign	Urbana City	Operating Expenses	Passed	N	75.9%	24.1%
Clark	Clark-Shawnee Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	49.8%	50.2%
Clark	Greenon Local	Building & Current	Failed	N	46.1%	53.9%
Clark	Springfield City	Bond Issues (Building &	Passed	N	57.6%	42.4%
Clark	Tecumseh Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	31.0%	69.0%
Clermont	Milford EV	Current Operating	Passed	N	59.8%	40.2%
Columbiana	Columbiana EV	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	42.1%	57.9%
Columbiana	Salem City	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	74.4%	25.6%
Columbiana	United Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	41.1%	58.9%
Crawford	Galion City	Current Operating	Failed	N	33.8%	66.2%
Cuyahoga	Brecksville-Broadview	Current Operating	Passed	R	61.4%	38.6%
Cuyahoga	Brooklyn City	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	57.6%	42.4%
Cuyahoga	Lakewood City	Current Operating	Passed	N	68.4%	31.6%
Cuyahoga	Westlake City	Current Operating	Failed	N	49.6%	50.4%
Darke	Mississinawa Valley	Building & Permanent	Passed	R	67.6%	32.4%
Delaware	Delaware City	Bond (Building &	Passed	N	60.6%	39.4%
Erie	Edison Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	N	52.0%	48.0%
Erie	Perkins Local	Permanent	Passed	R	51.4%	48.6%
Erie	Perkins Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	35.5%	64.5%
Fairfield	Walnut Township Local	Income Tax (Current	Passed	N	51.7%	48.3%
Franklin	Groveport Madison	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	50.2%	49.8%
Fulton	Swanton Local	Bond (Building) &	Failed	N	45.2%	54.8%
Geauga	Ledgemont Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	40.2%	59.8%
Greene	Fairborn City	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	34.1%	65.9%
Hamilton	Forest Hills Local	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	45.0%	55.0%
Hamilton	Oak Hills Local	Operating Levy	Failed	N	45.2%	54.8%
Hancock	Cory-Rawson Local	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	58.0%	42.0%
Hardin	Ada EV	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	55.1%	44.9%
Hardin	Upper Scioto Local	Permanent Improvement	Failed	N	48.5%	51.5%
Hardin	Upper Scioto Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	55.4%	44.6%
Henry	Napoleon Area City	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	46.8%	53.2%
Holmes	West Holmes Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	67.4%	32.6%
Huron	Monroeville Local	Building &	Passed	R	51.0%	49.0%
Huron	Willard City	Permanent	Failed	N	39.4%	60.6%
Jefferson	Buckeye Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	34.5%	65.5%
Jefferson	Indian Creek Local	Bond (Building &	Failed	N	37.9%	62.1%
Jefferson	Jefferson County JVSD	Current Expense &	Failed	N	46.6%	53.4%
Knox	East Knox Local	Current Expense &	Failed	N	45.0%	55.0%
Knox	Mount Vernon Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	65.7%	34.3%
Lake	Kirtland Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	53.4%	46.6%
Lake	Mentor EV	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	73.2%	26.8%
Lake	Mentor EV	Permanent	Passed	R	73.1%	26.9%
Lake	Painesville City	Current Operating	Passed	R	58.8%	41.2%
Lake	Willoughby-Eastlake	Emergency Levy	Failed	R	46.7%	53.3%
Licking	Johnstown-Monroe	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	65.4%	34.6%
Licking	Lakewood Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	59.7%	40.3%
Licking	Licking Heights Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	38.9%	61.1%
Licking	North Fork Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	46.6%	53.4%
Logan	Benjamin Logan Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	49.5%	50.5%
Logan	West Liberty Salem	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	66.1%	33.9%
Lorain	Amherst EV	Permanent Improvement	Passed	R	61.0%	39.0%
Lorain	Amherst EV	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	62.0%	38.0%
Lorain	Avon Lake City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	52.2%	47.8%
Lorain	Columbia Local	Current Expenses	Failed	N	44.3%	55.7%
Lorain	North Ridgeville City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	64.4%	35.6%
Lucas	Oregon City	Building & Permanent	Passed	R	61.0%	39.0%
Madison	Madison-Plains Local	Permanent	Failed	N	43.9%	56.1%
Mahoning	Boardman Local	Permanent	Passed	N	50.1%	49.9%
Mahoning	Boardman Local	Current Operating	Passed	R	60.5%	39.5%
Mahoning	Jackson-Milton Local	Permanent	Passed	R	57.4%	42.6%
Mahoning	Jackson-Milton Local	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	57.3%	42.7%
Mahoning	Poland Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	R	65.4%	34.6%
Mahoning	Springfield Local	Building & Permanent	Passed	N	61.1%	38.9%
Medina	Black River Local	Emergency Operating	Passed	N	51.1%	48.9%
Medina	Cloverleaf Local	Emergency Operating	Failed	N	49.3%	50.7%
Mercer	Celina City	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	67.4%	32.6%
Mercer	Marion Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	61.2%	38.8%
Miami	Covington EV	Building & Permanent	Passed	N	51.6%	48.4%
Miami	Milton-Union EV	Current Expenses	Passed	R	58.2%	41.8%
Miami	Piqua City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	64.5%	35.5%
Miami	Tipp City EV	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	51.4%	48.6%
Monroe	Switzerland of Ohio	Operating Expenses	Failed	N	48.9%	51.1%
Montgomery	Brookville Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	68.8%	31.2%
Montgomery	Brookville Local	Current Expenses	Passed	N	50.0%	50.0%
Montgomery	Centerville City	Current Expenses	Failed	N	49.3%	50.7%
Montgomery	Jefferson Township	Bond Issue (Building) &	Failed	N	23.8%	76.2%
Montgomery	Valley View Local	Current Expenses	Passed	N	54.8%	45.2%
Morrow	Cardington-Lincoln	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	49.1%	50.9%
Muskingum	East Muskingum Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	76.8%	23.2%
Muskingum	West Muskingum Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	55.9%	44.1%
Noble	Caldwell EV	Replacement and	Passed	N	57.3%	42.7%
Portage	Kent City	Current Expenses	Passed	N	61.0%	39.0%
Preble	Twin Valley	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	48.4%	51.6%
Richland	Mansfield City	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	72.2%	27.8%
Ross	Chillicothe City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	50.6%	49.4%
Sandusky	Clyde-Green Springs	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	38.4%	61.6%
Sandusky	Gibsonburg EV	Income Tax Current	Failed	N	47.5%	52.5%
Seneca	Bettsville Local	Income Tax Current	Passed	R	53.3%	46.7%
Seneca	Fostoria City	Necessary Requirements	Passed	N	59.0%	41.0%
Shelby	Fairlawn Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	66.4%	33.6%
Stark	Canton Local	Bond Building &	Failed	N	49.6%	50.4%
Stark	Fairless Local	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	39.0%	61.0%
Stark	Louisville City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	62.0%	38.0%
Stark	Marlington Local	Bond (Building) &	Failed	N	43.8%	56.2%
Stark	North Canton City	Permanent	Passed	N	57.8%	42.2%
Summit	Barberton City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	54.6%	45.4%
Summit	Coventry Local	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	55.2%	44.8%
Summit	Cuyahoga Falls City	Permanent	Failed	N	42.8%	57.2%
Summit	Manchester Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	72.0%	28.0%
Summit	Mogadore Local	Current Expenses	Failed	R	40.6%	59.4%
Trumbull	Brookfield Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	50.1%	49.9%
Trumbull	Champion Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	51.6%	48.4%
Trumbull	Girard City	Emergency Levy	Passed	N	62.1%	37.9%
Trumbull	Lakeview Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	61.6%	38.4%
Trumbull	Maplewood Local	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	65.0%	35.0%
Trumbull	McDonald Local	Operating Expenses	Passed	R	63.5%	36.5%
Trumbull	Newton Falls EV	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	37.9%	62.1%
Trumbull	Niles City	Emergency Levy	Failed	N	29.9%	70.1%
Trumbull	Niles City	Permanent	Failed	N	30.6%	69.4%
Union	Marysville EV	Current Operating	Passed	R	78.8%	21.2%
Van Wert	Van Wert City	Income Tax Current	Passed	N	59.7%	40.3%
Warren	Carlisle Local	Operating Levy	Passed	N	53.4%	46.6%
Wayne	Orrville City	Current Expenses	Failed	N	40.6%	59.4%
Williams	Millcreek West Unity	Emergency Levy	Passed	R	70.2%	29.8%
Wood	Bowling Green City	Current Expenses	Failed	R	34.6%	65.4%
Wood	Elmwood Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	R	41.5%	58.5%
Wood	Elmwood Local	Income Tax Current	Failed	R	41.7%	58.3%
Wood	North Baltimore Local	Current Expenses	Passed	R	53.0%	47.0%
Wyandot	Carey EV	Bond (Building) &	Passed	N	64.4%	35.6%

As most people know, the majority of public school teachers are paid based on salary schedules. Most (but not all) contain a number of “steps” (years of experience) and “lanes” (education levels). Teachers are placed in one lane (based on their degree) and proceed up the steps as they accrue years on the job. Within most districts, these two factors determine the raises that teachers receive.

Salary schedules receive a great deal of attention in our education debates. One argument that has been making the rounds for some time is that we should attract and retain “talent” in the teaching profession by increasing starting salaries and/or the size of raises teachers receive during their first few years (when test-based productivity gains are largest). One common proposal (see here and here) for doing so is reallocating salary from the “top” of salary schedules (the salaries paid to more experienced teachers) down to the “bottom” (novice teachers’ salaries). As a highly simplified example, instead of paying starting teachers $40,000 and teachers with 15 years of experience $80,000, we could pay first-year teachers $50,000 and their experienced counterparts $70,000. This general idea is sometimes called “frontloading,” as it concentrates salary expenditures at the “front” of schedules.

Now, there is a case for changes to salary schedules in many places – bargained and approved by teachers – including, perhaps, some degree of gradual frontloading (though the research in this area is underdeveloped at best). But there is a vocal group of advocates who assume an all-too-casual attitude about these changes. They seem to be operating on the mistaken assumption that salary schedules can be easily overhauled – just like that. We can drastically restructure them or just “move the money around” without problem or risk, if only unions and “bureaucrats” would get out of the way.**

Salary schedules aren’t just one-shot deals. When teachers and districts negotiate salaries, they don’t start with a blank slate. Schedules are, in many respects, evolving systems, which emerge over time as a result of continuous negotiation (and, in bargaining states, approval) by both parties.

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May 2013 School Levy Results

Schedule Conflicts

Sommers sweats gifted student question